The subject patent application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 07/880,316 and 07/880,317, both filed May 6, 1992.
Every year children are electrocuted by night lights. Although most injuries are not fatal, a great deal of pain and suffering, both mental and physical, as well as medical expense, could be avoided by the use of the safety night lights described in the subject patent application.
Illustrative of traditional night lights which possess the inherent deficiencies overcome by the subject invention are those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,984, issued Dec. 22, 1989 to Spector, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,162, issued Oct. 31, 1989 to Wu. The night lights in these patents are connected to a wall outlet by a pair of prongs which insert into the openings in the outlet. The prongs support the night light and are readily exposed when the night light is even slightly moved. A common cause of injury results when a child contacts the "hot" prong or bridges both prongs with a conductive object such as a kitchen knife.
Various means have been devised to overcome the danger of possible electrocution. U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,638, issued Apr. 10, 1990 to Domian, describes a box-like cover hinged to an outlet cover plate to form a protective enclosure for an electrical outlet. When the box-like cover is formed from a transparent or translucent material, a night light can be inserted therein. In this configuration the night light is protected from the prying hands of children. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,405, issued Dec. 28, 1976 to Horwinski, describes an electrical adaptor/night light. The adaptor/night light is formed to replace the cover plate on an outlet while providing the light and outlet access envisioned by Domian. Although both of these patents provide a safe alternative to the conventional night light, each requires removal of the cover plate, thus necessitating the use of tools and limiting the night light's transportability. Applications for such a device are therefore limited.
Another variation on the conventional night light is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,823, issued Feb. 9, 1988 to Pinkerton, et al. As with the above patents, the socket is completely covered, but a separate outlet cover plate is required.
To overcome the problem of having to remove the cover plate from the outlet, U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,911, issued Jun. 5, 1990 to Hanson, constructed a U-shaped receiving flange for fixedly holding the night light in a predetermined relation to the electrical outlet when the cover plate is attached to the outlet box. As with the above patents, however, the cover plate holding screw must be removed for the night light to be inserted. Additionally, once installed the night light is not readily removable.
Another problem plaguing conventional night lights is the easy access to the bulb while the night light is plugged into the electrical outlet. Electrocution can occur in numerous ways via an accessible bulb. For example, the bulb can break thereby exposing electric elements (not to mention shattered glass). Alternatively, a child can unscrew the light bulb and place his or her finger within the outlet. Such a problem exists with both conventional night lights and the night light described by Hanson.
The subject invention overcomes the prior art limitations by enclosing the bulb within a cover which limits access to both the bulb and the socket. Moreover, the cover is engineered to directly contact the wall at positions adjacent the outlet. To accomplish this, there is provided a recessed area which allows the outlet plate to fit within the cover.
It is an object of the subject invention to provide a safe night light. A further object is to provide a night light which limits access to the bulb and socket. Yet another object is to provide a night light having an aesthetically pleasing cover. Lastly, it is an object is to provide a cover which contacts the wall to minimize the likelihood that a child will contact the prongs of the night light with a conductive object.